Steam of Life – Miesten vuoro (2010)

Directed by: Joonas Berghäll, Mika Hotakainen | 86 minutes | documentary

In the far north it is the most normal thing in the world to see each other naked. In the sauna, that is. The hot air bath is part of the daily ritual in countries such as Sweden and Finland. A visit to the sauna is not only good for the body, it also has a cleansing effect on the mind, as can be seen in the Finnish documentary ‘Steam of Life’ (‘Miesten vuoro’, 2010) by Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen. They focus specifically on the Finnish man – their film is therefore dedicated to the male population of the Northern European country – who is known for being stiff, distant and inscrutable. In the sauna, however, they open their souls and the most personal outpourings surface. In ‘Steam of Life’ they expose themselves not only literally, but also figuratively.

The film offers a succession of scenes, each time around one or a few men who enter the sauna. Sometimes these steam baths are private, at home – sometimes they are public baths. Finns love the sauna so much that they create hot air baths in the craziest places: in a tent or caravan, in a car, in a mine, even in a telephone booth. And no matter how old they are, the sauna remains part of the daily ritual. As the stove is turned up and another splash of water is thrown over the red-hot stones to achieve a perfect löyly (the effect of hot water droplets descending on the skin), birch branches tied together are used to stimulate the sweat glands. Gently taps on the skin. Sweating not only removes waste from the body, but also from the mind. A colorful procession of Finnish guys – old and young, fat and thin, tough and fragile, but all in their poodle nakie – passes by. Their seemingly indestructible armor thaws as soon as the heaters in the sauna are on full blast. Suddenly they dare to reveal their deepest souls. What keeps them busy, what makes them sad or happy? The mask of inscrutability is wiped off by the löyly.

For example, a man says that he is not allowed to see his daughter anymore. Another man talks about his time in prison and the reason he changed his life. An elderly man reveals to five other seniors how happy he is with his second wife. But traumatic childhood memories are also discussed. The sauna visit works as a therapy. In order not to make it too heavy, a light-hearted story has also been added here and there, for example about a man who has adopted a brown bear, or the Santas discussing their working day in the sweltering sauna. But the directors are certainly working towards a climax with the outpourings. With their film they want to nuance the image that exists of the Finnish man. They are not chilly and cold, even if they look that way. With their film, Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen indicate that the Finnish man is more complicated than many people think. And even though the moments meant as moving are not always portrayed as such and the melancholy but combative ‘Picador March’ with which the film closes is perhaps a bit too much of a good thing, the makers still manage to be more nuanced to the Finnish man. to let you watch.

The extras in the film deserve kudos for their guts. They dared to allow a camera into their sauna, in their most intimate world. They show their naked selves – not only literally but also figuratively – to the outside world. And although Finns may be a little easier to expose themselves physically than the Dutch and Belgians, it is very different emotionally. They are also real people we see here (although their stories sometimes seem a bit rehearsed, but we are definitely not dealing with actors here), with all their imperfections. No handsome movie stars, but sturdy, wrinkled, balding, lived-in men with huge bellies, faded tattoos, excessive hair growth, sunken heads and withered cocks. The contrast with the images of the breathtaking Finnish landscape, with which the directors lard their film, is enormous. Incidentally, those panoramas of the endless Finnish forests, lakes and tundra provide much-needed variety, because watching and listening to the revelations of sweating naked men for an hour and a half does get boring after a while.

‘Steam of Life’ is by no means everyone’s proverbial cup of tea, but offers the interested a special look at one of Europe’s most fascinating peoples, the unfathomable Finns.